Silence Is Golden
by Bishie Huntress
Summary: While out on a boring mission, Naruto discovers something strange and interesting. What will this mean for the future of Team Seven?


**an:** I hope you enjoy this new story with me! I am curious to see where Team Seven will end up! XD

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><p>Team Seven slogged through muck, inching their way across a field flooded with who-knew-what.<p>

"Ah, this stuff stinks!" Naruto complained in a voice far louder than it needed to be for just the four of them. "Why do we have to go this way, anyway? I think my pants are ruined!"

Kakashi, walking easily across the top of the water and mud, replied calmly, "Because the shortest distance between two points is as the crow flies."

"What?" The blond was clearly doubtful. "Crows go all over the place! And they're easily distracted by shiny - Ooo, what's that?"

Leaning down, Naruto reached into the foul-smelling, watery sludge and pulled out something… shiny.

The rest of Team Seven stopped to watch as he swirled it through the cloudy water, attempting to clean it off. He reached down with his other hand and scrubbed at it.

After a few moments of this, Sasuke grew impatient. "Well, idiot? What is it?"

Naruto, bent over and squinting at the object, was silent. A few seconds passed. Then he looked up, opened his mouth, frowned, and closed it. Wordlessly, he handed the shiny thing to the other boy. Then he opened and shut his mouth a few more times, looking for all the world like a gaping fish.

Sakura giggled before turning to her crush, who was holding what looked like an ancient silver talisman. It was circular, and about the size of the palm of his hand, and as he held it up to the sky, sunlight glinted off intricate designs carved into its surface.

Even Sakura felt her curiosity overwhelm her patience, but she was a little more polite about it.

"So, uh, what is it?"

Sasuke's lips parted and he replied.

"…"

Snapping his mouth shut, he put his hand to his throat. Clearing it a couple times and coughing experimentally, he tried again.

"…" His mouth moved, but no sound came out.

Kakashi looked on with his one eye. "Hm. Interesting."

"Let me see it." Sakura reached out a hand to take the object from Sasuke. "I've read about all kinds of historical-"

"Wait." Kakashi's arm moved to block the pink-haired girl as she stepped forward. "Think for a minute. Naruto and Sasuke both touched an unknown object. Within moments, they were both rendered mute. I'd recommend avoiding contact with the object until we know more about it."

"Oh, of course." The girl dropped her hand as though she'd been burned. "Boy, I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't talk."

"You're awesome, Sakura-chan, but you sure can talk a lot!" This is what Naruto wanted, and in fact, _tried_, to say. Instead, what happened was his mouth opened, he took a step forward, sound refused to issue forth, and he disappeared in a splash of questionably colored water.

Sakura shouted, "Ew, gross!" and wiped water from her face as Sasuke grabbed a quickly vanishing hand. As Sasuke was being pulled under, Kakashi reached out and took hold of his foot, and in the time it took Sakura to blink away the (_nasty, disgusting, foul, fetid!_) water from her eyes, all three male members of Team Seven were gone without a trace.

"Hello?" she called. She looked around at the flat, watery, and oh-so-empty landscape in confusion. Seeing nothing, she peered into the murky water. "Hello?… Guys?"

Meanwhile, deep underground… and underwater…

The boys - and man - of Team Seven looked around in wonder. Kakashi, quick thinker that he was, had used a water jutsu he'd picked up somewhere to create a pocket of air around the three of them.

Naruto was the first to say something. Looking at the walls around them, he said, "Is that… _ramen_?"

"No, you idiot. Clearly, it's the path to power." Sasuke's eyes were hungry as they stared at the wall.

Kakashi watched his students with a small measure of amusement before he, too, turned to the wall. When he did, his whole body jerked back in surprise. There, staring out at him from the walls of the cavern they found themselves in, were the faces of three of his greatest failures: Obito, Rin, and The Fourth, his once-upon-a-time sensei. They watched him with eyes that welcomed, that forgave.

Angry, Kakashi lifted his _hitai ate_ and revealed his left eye, red and swirling black seeking the truth. But what he saw made no sense!

He looked back at the boys. Superimposed over Naruto was a vision of many people cheering and holding aloft a grinning blond.

When his eye flicked to Sasuke, he saw a group of dark-haired people - the boy's family - showering the young Uchiha with affection and adoration.

However, when he looked once again to the wall in front of him, all he saw was… a pink umbrella!

Suddenly realizing their air was becoming thin, teacher turned to students as he replaced his _hitai ate_, and calmly directed them back to the surface.

So it was that they broke the surface of the water, wide-eyed and gasping for breath, and sprayed a worried Sakura with muck once again.

END CHAPTER ONE

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><p><strong>an: <strong>Well, there's chapter one! So, what did you think? What is the power of this strange, shiny, silver... thing? What's up with the pink umbrella? Will Sakura ever be clean again? Look for the next chapter of "Silence Is Golden" next week!


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